Treatment in Milan (Italy)

Prof. Guido Grappiolo is Orthopedics Hip and Prosthesis Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. Since 1991, Prof. Guido Grappiolo began working as a researcher dedicated mainly to hip surgery in cooperation with internationally renowned authors such as: Prof. Ganz Prof. T. Gruen, Prof. D. Blaha (U.S.A.), Prof. H. Wagner (Germany), Prof. E. Morscher (Switzerland).

He collaborates with major international schools in the research of new and modern strategies in the field of minimally invasive prosthetics, computer-assisted surgery and conservative surgery. To encourage research in orthopedics is the main scientific goal of the establishment and organization of the "Foundation Livio Sciutto – NPO", an organization of which Prof. Grappiolo is the scientific director. Playing this role, Prof. Grappiolo has been creating and maintaining contacts with other national and international research institutes, which trained thousands of surgeons coming from every country of the world.

The organization has one of the largest hip replacement database of the world: more than 45.000. Dr. Grappiolo is mentored by Dr. Spotorno (a master and pioneer in prosthetic surgery), and their group studied and developed some of the bestselling prosthesis in the world. His research led him to contact the major international schools with which he collaborates in the search for new strategies of improvement in prosthetic minimally invasive and computer-assisted conservative surgery with the development of new prosthetic models and exploration of new materials.

To date, he has attended over 170 meetings, both national and international, almost every time in the role of speaker or chairman. His name appears as author, in more than 60 publications and articles. He has performed more than 2600 prosthetic surgery (hip, knee and ankle).

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=grappiolo

Prof. Dr. Maria Grazia Bordoni is the Vascular Surgery Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. She has graduated at Università degli Studi of Milan and specialised as a vascular surgeon and since then she has been interested in vascular surgery in all its aspects.

Medical areas of interest:

Her main specialties are endovascular surgery and treatment of the large vessels of the abdomen and thorax (aorta, thoracic cavity), carotid surgery, endovascular and surgical treatments for arteries of the lower limbs, preparation of complex vascular access in hemodialysis, phlebology, diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations. 

Research areas of interest: 

When it comes to the research activity, Dr. Bordoni is mainly dealing with early treatment of acute ischemic strokes and stimulation of the carotid baroreceptors in patients with heart failure. Prof. Bordoni has performed more than 2000 surgeries as first surgeon in her Humanitas career. 

Since 2005, she is also Milan University professor: she teaches General Surgery and focuses on the topic of vascular and surgical emergencies.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bordoni+mg

Dr. Marco Grimaldi is the Diagnostic Neuroradiology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest:

• magnetic resonance
• computed tomography
• angiography of the central nervous system, brain and spine
• study of the brachial plexus
• functional neuroradiology, in particular, study of cerebral perfusion for perfusion CT related to problems in an emergency regime
• spine dimorphism, in particular of the paediatric age and in rare diseases

He has developed full diagnostic, organizational and managerial autonomy of any problem in outpatient, hospital and emergency neuroradiology.

Research areas of interest:

• Functional imaging studies on coma
• Diagnosis and development of prognostic algorithms
• Research and development, even experimental, of new applications related to technological developments (research on new protocols for the use of the Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT), for the use of perfusion CT in vascular and emergency environments finally, study of the trachea in patients at risk of anesthesiology).

Previous experience:

1990 – 2012 Neuroradiologist at Hospital of San Gerardo in Monza, Italy

He was the Director on highly specialised activities related to functional neuroradiology. 

He worked in diagnostic autonomy, organization and management of any problem within neuroradiological outpatient, inpatient and emergency context. 

He is particularly interested in the field of functional neuroradiology, in research and experimental development of new applications also tied to technological developments and creation of new protocols for use of MDCT (use of CT perfusion imaging in the field of vascular and urgency. He was involved in the study of the trachea in patients at high anaesthetic risk), in paediatric radiology with particular reference to diagnosis and clinical management of rare diseases (consultant in the Outpatient Unit for metabolic diseases and in the Outpatient Unit for rare and genetic diseases at the Hospital). He is also interested in the study of problems related to the craniocervical junction.

Teaching experience: 

From 2002 to 2012 he has been a professor at Milano-Bicocca University of Milan.

From 2002 to 2012 : Professor of the courses "Technique and diagnostics for images I", "Technique and diagnostics for images II" and "Semeiotics neuroradiological CT" for the degree in Medical Radiology for Images and Radiotherapy.
From 2003 to 2012: Professor of the course "Functional Brain Diagnostics" for the Degree in Physiotherapy. 
From 2003 to 2012: Professor for the Degree Course in Neurotherapy and psychomotricity of the developmental age.
From 2006 to 2009: Lecturer at the School of Specialization in Radiodiagnostics.

Prof.  Marco Francone is the Cardiovascular Imaging Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest:

Imaging in cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases

Previous experience:

- First level Medical Director at the Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomy-Pathological Sciences, at Policlinico Umberto I in Rome

- Past-President, Cardiology Section at the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM)

Research areas of interest: 

Inflammatory heart disease, cardiomyopathy, imaging of acute myocardial infarction, imaging in cardio-toxicity, imaging of post-COVID patients.

Prof.  Marco Francone is the author of more than 150 indexed scientific papers with an impact factor of more than 500 and has lectured around the world for fifteen years, from the United States to Asia, from Africa to Australia.

Teaching experience:

Full Professor of Radio diagnostics at Humanitas University

Publications:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=marco+francone&sort=pubdate&size=200&show_snippets=off

Prof. Marco Alloisio is the thoracic surgery Unit Director at Humanitas Research Hospital. He graduated in Medicine in 1976 at Università Statale of Milan, specialized in General Surgery, Oncological and Thoracic Surgery. 

Under the guidance of Professor Umberto Veronesi, from 1977 to 1997 he was an assistant in the divisions of general oncological, otolaryngology and thoracic surgery at the National Cancer Institute of Milan (INT). During this period, he also worked with general surgery, breast surgery, oncological otorhinolaryngology and had several periods spent studying abroad (Paris and New York at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center).

In 1997 he started his activity at Humanitas Research Hospital and in 1998 he was appointed Chief of Mini-Invasive Thoracic Surgery. From 2006 he was designated Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the same Institution. Main clinical activity has been focused on Thoracic Surgical Oncology, and in particular all kinds of surgical management of primary and secondary lung cancer, lung metastases, mediastinal tumors and thoracic wall tumors. Prof. Marco Alloisio is president of the Italian League for the fight against cancer (LILT) in Milan, and member of many national and international societies (SIC, SICO, ESSO, ISDE, ACOI, SICT, ESTS).

Author of over 200 publications, including articles and presentations to national and internationals scientific meetings. His engagement in clinical research involves early detection and management of primary lung cancer and his treatment also with video-assisted techniques, successful treatment of lung metastases with new techniques for salvage surgery (multiple sub lobar resections and laser resections) but also aggressive surgery for advanced lung cancers after induction chemotherapy and treatment of the thoracic wall and vertebral bodies. 
In the latter field, he is engaged in the surgical treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (extra pleural pneumonectomy) with multimodality approaches in a multicentric Italian cooperative group.

Currently engaged in genetic research studies such as "ERCC1 and B-Tubulin exspression in locally advanced NSCLC treated with platinum/vinorelbin neodjuvant chemotherapy" and in external collaborations with universities and hospitals around the world.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=alloisio+marco

Prof. Luca Balzarini is the head of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging in Humanitas Research Hospital. He lectured at the post-graduation school in Radiology at the University of Milan and Pavia and he is member of the European Society of Radiology and of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM).
He graduated cum laude in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan in 1982 and in 1986 he graduated cum laude at the post-graduation school of Radiology at the University of Milan.

His career started at Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milano where he attended as a PHD student of the University of Milan.
After a long experience abroad, where he developed master expertise in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, he then became Assistant in the Department of Diagnostic radiology at Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (IRCCS) in Milan where he has this role for 12 years now.

Since 1997 he has been working at Humanitas Research Hospital as head of Magnetic Resonance Section, and then head of Diagnostic Radiology Unit (2006). Nin 2012 he became head of Department of Diagnostic Imaging.

In his high technology Department there are 5 MRI machines (from 1 up to 3 T units), 4 CT scans, and an angiography suite, all radiological techniques are regulated by a system of dose control (Dose Watch).

His team, composed of 25 radiologists, has recognized expertise in several fields of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging and particularly dedicated in Oncological, Muscle-Skeletal, Neuro and Cardiac Imaging.

Dott. Federico Della Rocca is the Prosthetic and Minimally Invasive Hip and Knee Orthopaedics. 

Medical areas of interest: 
Pathology of the hip and knee, with particular interest in prosthetic and arthroscopic hip surgery. He performs about 700 surgeries every year. He has numerous participations as speaker at national and international conferences.

Previous experience:
He was an attending physician at Steadman Hawkins Clinic Hospital, Vail Colorado, USA. 

He gave a great contribution to the development of the GTS (Global Tissue Sparing) hip prosthetic stem and biomechanical rotational stability tests with Prof Thomsen, Heidelberg (Germany) 12/2012.

Research areas of interest: 
Arthroscopic techniques on the hip

Teaching experience: 
Theory and practical courses in arthroscopic and prosthetic hip surgery at Medical Education

Prof. Giorgio Walter Canonica is the Head of Personalized Medicine Center: Asthma and Allergy in Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest:
Asthma and allergies 

Research areas of interest: 
T cells: study of different subgroups and their functional role in basic and clinical research (allergy, specific autoimmunity of organs, degenerative diseases of the CNS and cancer).

Molecular events and interactions between immunocompetent cells, inflammatory cells, epithelial cells in allergic inflammation and airway remodelling.

Biomarkers that define the therapeutic response in asthma.

New antiallergenic drugs and new strategies in the treatment of allergic disease.

Clinical and immune-pharmacological activities of modifiers of biological responses such as cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, specific immunotherapy for allergens, etc.

Results of reported patients and assessment of quality of life in patients with respiratory and allergic diseases.

Prof. Canonica coordinated and conducted more than 50 tests (phase II-IV) according to current GCP rules (certification number 2426574, 29/06/2017).

He has also served as an arbitrator for most of the most important international journals - Editor-in-Chief of "Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology" – Associated Editor "Annals of Allergy & Clinical Immunology".

Previous experience:
Director of the Degree programme of Lung Diseases at the University of Genoa (1998 - Today) President of the Clinic for Diseases of Allergies and Respiratory - Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa - IRCCS AOU San Martino IST

(1997) Director of the Specialized School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology DIMI, University of Genoa

• (1998-present) Full professor of allergies and respiratory diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa
   
• (1995-1998) Full professor of Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa
   
• (1982) Associate Professor Allergy and Clinical Immunology-Dept. of Internal Medicine
  (1977) Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine - University of Genoa
• (1973) Assistant at the Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases - University of Genoa

Publications:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=giorgio+walter+canonica

Dr. Lorenzo Di Mento is the Head of the Traumatology Unit in Humanitas Research Hospital. He is also part of the council of AO Trauma Italy with the role of Community Development. 

He specialized in Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the University of Milan (2000-2005), completing several internships abroad:

• 2003 Marseille (France), Centre Phocea, Dr. Bronsard, vertebral surgery
• 2003 Marseille (France), Hopital Nord, Dr. Poitout, traumatology
• 2003-2004 Basse Terre (Guadeloupe), Centro Ospedaliero de la Basse Terre (CHBT), dr Fleurat, acting as intern (equivalent of the French specializing)

He also completed a Fellowship of AO Trauma International at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vadois (CHUV) in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 2016, at the center of pelvic surgery and treatment of septic complications in orthopedics and traumatology, directed by Dr. Borens.

He surgically treats fractures, both acutely ongoing ones (with intervention of reduction and synthesis as soon as possible, in accordance with soft tissues and the patient’s conditions) and as psthumous traumas (pseudoarthrosis, bad or non consolidation). He handles polyfractured and polytrauma patients. Dr. Di Mento also treats infections in a traumatic environment, such as septic psedutoarthrosis and surgically the minor tumoral bone localizations, such as osteolysis, impending fractures and pathological fractures. 

Publications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Di+Mento+L 

Prof. Enrico Arnaldi is the Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Knee Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. 
He was the medical apprentice of Dr. Lorenzo Spotorno (a master and pioneer in prosthetic surgery). Since 1984, he has dedicated himself to arthroscopic knee surgery and later on shoulder surgery.

Medical areas of interest: He is specialized in degenerative and post-traumatic shoulder diseases (rotator cuff tendon injuries, glenomeral arthrosis, shoulder instability) and related surgical treatments, arthroscopic (tendon repairs, capsuloplasty, etc.) and open (latarjet stabilization, orthoprosthesis, etc.). 
He also deals with degenerative and post traumatic knee pathologies, with particular attention to the osteoarthritis of the knee (primitive or secondary), the post-traumatic complex capsule-ligamentous instabilities, the lesions of the cruciate ligaments, meniscus and cartilage, and open-air surgical treatments (such as corrective osteotomies, first implant orthoprosthesis and revisions) and arthroscopic (meniscectomies and meniscal sutures, meniscal transplants, ACL reconstruction, treatment of focal cartilage lesions). 

Research areas of interest:
There are many research interests, ranging from biotechnology to meniscal transplants and osteochondral grafts, from allogeneic grafts for reviews from failures of ligamentous reconstruction to patella stabilization.

He practiced his specialty in the US in some of the world-renowned medical institutions along with internationally famous doctors: the University of Pittsburgh (Dr. Freddie Fu, Dr. Harner, Dr. Savio Lee Wo), the Intermountain Hospital in Salt Lake City (Dr. Rosemberg, Dr. Paulos), Dr. E. Wolf (San Francisco), Dr. Helman and Dr. Morrison (Los Angeles), Dr. Nottage, Dr. Esch (San Diego), Dr. Steadman and Dr. Hawkins (Vail), Dr. P. Fowler (London Ontario Canada), and J. P. Warner in Boston University.

He has performed more than 10,000 arthroscopic knee surgeries and approximately 1,200 prosthetic reconstruction of the knee. He has always been very involved in the research works in the area of new biotechnologies, meniscal and osteochondral transplantation, allogeneic grafts for revisions by failures of ligament reconstructions, stabilization of the patella.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=arnaldi+enrico

Dr. Maurizio Fornari is the Head of the Neurosurgery Unit in Humanitas Research Hospital.

After his specialization in neurosurgery in 1979 at the University of Milan, Dr. Fornari has followed courses in neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York (USA) and advanced courses in Spinal Surgery and skull base at the Center St. Louis (USA) and the Center of Albuquerque (USA).

Dr. Fornari specializes in the treatment of all major diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, from the compression of the spinal nerves (lumbar and cervical disc hernias, stenosis of the cervical canal, instability of the spine, spinal cord tumors), primary and secondary brain tumors, to congenital malformations of the central nervous system. Dr. Fornari is a recognized leader in the development of computer assisted spine surgery.

Dr. Fornari is a recognized leader in the development of minimally invasive surgery, who among the first has adopted bloodless methods such as micro decompression with unilateral approach for the treatment of lumbar stenosis instead of the much more invasive laminectomy.

Another dreaded disease, sometimes associated with stenosis or lumbar spondylolisthesis, which Dr. Fornari is approaching for quite a long time with the help of spinal navigation systems and intraoperative CT scan, which helps the work of the surgeon during the intervention, reducing invasiveness and risks for the patient, represent lumbar instability.

He and his team perform more than 1.300 surgeries a year, and he has one of the most important case studies in the world (data from a few years ago published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: 
http://thejns.org/action/doSearch?displaySummary=false&AllField=maurizio+fornari.) 

Since 2012, he teaches at the University of Milan. He is also Assistant Editor of "Advanced Technology in Neurosurgery" published by Sprinter Verlag Berlin Heldelberg (1988).

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=fornari%m

Prof. Salvatore Badalamenti is the Nephrology and Dialysis Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He has graduated at the Università degli Studi of Milan and is specialised in Medical Nephrology, Liver Diseases and Replacement.

Medical areas of interest:

• clinical nephrology and dialysis, chronic renal failure and its complications (anemia, osteodystrophy)
• preparation of vascular access for hemodialysis
• acid-base balance disorders. continuous renal replacement therapy in intensive care (CRRT)
• hepatorenal syndrome
• emergency medicine

Previous experience:

1990-1995 Polyclinic Hospital, Milan, Italy
He was a Staff grade specialist. Focused on infectious complications in dialysis treatments, particularly hepatitis C and anaemia, and nephrological and dialysis emergencies.

1986-1990 Provincial Hospital Clinic , Barcelona, Spain
He completed his PhD in Renal and Hepatic pathophysiology. Especially focused on the study of renal complications in patients with liver disease.

Research areas of interest: 

• clinical nephrology
• anemia and erythropoietin in renal failure and dialysis
• continuous renal replacement therapy in intensive care (crrt)
• hepatorenal syndrome. 
• phgosis and pentraxine in renal failure

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Nephrology (SIN)

Teaching experience:

He is Professor of Internal Medicine and Emergency medicine and Professor of Nephrology at Università degli Studi of Milan.

Dr. Paolo Casale is the Urology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. 

Medical areas of interest: 
his main focus is surgical treatment of oncological and functional diseases of the kidney, bladder and prostate.

He has developed a particular interest in conservative oncological surgery of the kidneys, both traditional and minimally invasive (laparoscopic and robotic), and has dedicated himself to the study of prostate and bladder oncological pathologies, with particular attention to the different urinary derivations, such as orthotopic neobladders.

Research areas of interest:
Surgical techniques in the treatment of kidney, bladder and prostate cancer.

Previous experience:

• 1999 – 2014 University Hospital of Pisa – Pisa (PI), Italy
  Medical Director at the Urology Unit 2 (Reference Center for Kidney tumors) headed by Dr. Francesco Francesca. Here he served as the organization and surgical training manager in the operating room of Residents in Urology and Students of Degree in Medicine and Surgery.
• He has also held the following positions: 
•  
• May 2012 – May 2013: Head of the Section of Professional interdisciplinary relevance of Robot-assisted Laparoscopic Surgery 
•  
• Nov 2008 – April 2012: Head of the Robot assisted Laparoscopic Surgery
•  
• 1994 – 2004: Research Fellow in Laparoscopic Surgery and Robotics at the Glickman Urological Institute at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation on advanced laparoscopic procedures, Robotic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery – Cleveland – USA. (Chief: IS Gill).
•  
• December 1995 – May 1996: Research Fellow at the Department of Urology, Henry Ford Hospital – Detroit – Michigan – USA. (Chief: JO Peabody).
•  
• 1994: Clinical Internship at the Department of Urology, Montefiore Medical Center – Albert Einstein ​​University – New York – USA. (Chief: A. Mellman).

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=casale p 

Prof. Carlo Castroro is the General Gastric and Esophagus Surgery Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He has graduated in the University of Padua and specialised in general medicine and thoracic surgery.

Medical areas of interest:

• gastric esophagus surgery
• day surgery
• general surgery

Previous experience:

Head of Simple Departmental Oncological Surgery Unit at the “Istituto Oncologico Veneto”, IOV - IRCCS, Padua.

Research areas of interest: 

• gastro-intestinal oncological surgery
• diseases of the esophagus with particular focus on oncologicy
• training, new technologies and distance learning
• day surgery and surgical services reorganization

Teaching experience: He is a professor in the Graduate School of General Surgery of the University of Padua and has also participated as a lecturer in numerous postgraduate training courses in the field of esophageal surgery, day surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=castoro+carlo

Prof. Efrem Civilini  is chairman at Humanitas University and Vascular Surgery Unit Director at Humanitas Research Hospital.

He received his medical degree from the University of Milan, Italy and board-certified in Vascular Surgery at the University of Siena, Italy. He took his internship and residency in vascular surgery at San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan (Italy) where he completed his training with clinical and research fellowships under the guidance of his mentor Prof. Roberto Chiesa.

As an attending surgeon and later as chief of Thoracic Aortic Surgery at the Cardiovascular Department of San Raffaele he practiced his surgical skills in an internationally recognized team treating thoraco-abdominal aneurysms and then studied minimally invasive aortic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (OH). After an experience of about 15.000 vascular surgerie, in 2015 was appointed to Humanitas at the head of a relatively young team: the department of Vascular Surgery I. This department provides comprehensive treatments for all types of vascular disorders including the new technology of catheter-based intervention as well as traditional surgical treatment all geared toward maximizing safety and optimizing outcomes.

Prof. Civilini’s research has been focused on aortic surgery and minimally invasive vascular therapies. He co-authored practice guidelines for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases and has played a role in industry-sponsored clinical trials assessing the performance of new expandable stents used to treat thoracic aorta disease. He has been invited to present his clinical experience at international and national medical conferences and symposia.

He has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on his clinical experience and research. He serves as a reviewer for the Annals of Vascular Surgery and is member of the European Society of Vascular Surgery and the Società Italiana di Chirurgia Vascolare ed Endovascolare.

Previous experience:

1995-2014
Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan. Italy
Staff surgeon and Director of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery

2003-2014
“Vita – Salute” University, Milan. Italy
Fellow and Contract Professor of Surgery

2008 
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland (OH)
Additional training in catheter-based interventions and endovascular surgery of thoraco-abdominal aneurysms.

Publications:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Civilini%20E%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26344379

Prof.  Roberto Gatti is the Physiotherapy Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. Prof. Roberto Gatti became physiotherapist in 1985 at the University of Milan (Italy). In 1996 he got the licénce en kinésithérapie et réadaptation  at the Catholique University of Louvain la Neuve (Belgium) and, in 2009, the Master of sciences in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Florence (Italy).

Medical areas of interest: 

motor rehabilitation

Previous experience:
 

Didactic coordinator of Physiotherapy degree programme of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

• Group Leader of the Motor Function Analysis and Rehabilitation Laboratory of the Department of Neuroscience of San Raffaele Hospital
• Head of physiotherapy at San Raffaele Hospital

Research areas of interest:

Research lines of Prof. Roberto Gatti are mainly addressed on Biomechanics and Neurorehabilitation, with a focus on the effects of cognitive facilitations (i.e. action observation) on motor relearning of subjects with lesion at the central nervous system. As Biomechanics research lines his interest is focused on the study of anticipatory postural adjustments and their coordination with the agonist component of movement.

Teaching experience: 

Associated Director of the Physiotherapy degree programme of Humanitas Research Hospital since 2016

Prof. Renato Maria Bragato is the Autonomous Echocardiography Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

His main medical specialties are 2D, 3D transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographies.

He executes echo transthoracic and transoesophageal intra-operative monitoring in heart surgery, vascular surgery and hemodynamics (intra-operative diagnostics, cardiac function monitoring, mini-access treatment and surgery using the Heartport technique, monitoring implantation of vascular and valvular percutaneous endoprostheses, monitoring PFO closure, monitoring LAA Occluder and Mitral clip positioning), intraoperative evaluation and follow-up of application and correct functioning of “Ventricular Advanced Device” (VAD, NOVACOR, CIRCULATE),  resynchronisation and evaluation of bi-ventricular cardiac stimulation, vascular ultrasound (EchocolorDoppler of the supra-aortic trunks) and study of endothelial dysfunction (Shear test), evaluation of cardio-embolic risk using CEUS, transthoracic and transesophageal techniques.

Research areas of interest: His research activity is dedicated to Artificial Heart Device and Fusion Imaging.

Author and co-author of over 70 published papers on different national and international journals mainly from personal original research project

Member of Italian Society of Cardiovascular Echography (SIEC)

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=bragato+renato

Prof. Raffaello Furlan is the Unit Director of the Internal Medicine Center Unit.

Since 1990 he has been focusing his clinical interests on hypotensive phenomena and episodes of loss of consciousness, organizing and developing a functional multidisciplinary unit called "Syncope and Posture Disorders Unit", as part of the Internal Medicine Unit where he worked (currently Medical Clinic, Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, and in the past L. Sacco Hospital, Milan, and Bolognini Hospital, Bergamo). 

This unit is composed of a neurologist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist and a psychiatrist, in accordance with clinical-care facilitated protocols. Thanks to this organizational structure, and thanks to the use a special clinical laboratory, more than 1600 tilt tests have been carried out, together with intensive work with outpatients and inpatients, which led to the care of patients also from other regions in Italy and abroad (France, Switzerland, Australia, Comoros Islands and United States).

The Syncope and Posture Disorders Unit is currently part of a worldwide network of centres that refer to the National Dysautonomia Research Foundation, an American non-profit foundation providing advice and support to patients with different types of dysautonomia and financing international research protocols on the subject.  

Research areas of interest:

From 1977 to 1984, he took an active part in studies conducted on experimental models, to clarify the nervous mechanisms of cardiac, cardio-vascular and vascular reflexes involved in the regulation of blood pressure and in the genesis of cardiac pain. He also applied techniques of direct recording of sympathetic nerve activity and spectral analysis to the study of cardiovascular variability in the physiological, pathophysiologic and pathological  fields, studying the changes in the nervous control of the cardiovascular system during postural changes, physical training, neuromediated syncope in patients suffering from dysutopianism (Pure Autonomic Failure), and in subjects with Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance, Fibromyalgia, Esophageal Reflux Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Parkinson’s disease. 

Since January 2004, the Syncope Unit directed by Prof. Furlan has conceived, realized and coordinated some observational multicentric studies aimed at studying the short-term prognosis of syncope, to evaluate the effectiveness of risk scales in the emergency room and the role of clinical judgement (steps studies, Short Term Prognosis of Syncope). The Syncope Unit was also an active part of EGSYS2 and other multicenter syncope studies. Currently, a study is underway to assess the effects of bilateral plantar stimulation on the path and neurovegetative profile of cardiovascular regulation in Parkinson’s disease. It involves 10 hospitals sponsored by the Lombardy region on syncope costs and a multicentric European study on the use of neuronal networks for syncope management in the emergency room.

Previous experience:

2007-2012 Hospital, Seriate, Italy
Director of Internal Medicine Unit, Outpatients and Day Hospital for medicine. 
1982-2007 Hospital, Milan, Italy
• Hospital assistant of Internal Medicine (Medicine II) until 1990. During this period, he was directly responsible for 8 beds in this Department and carried out regular call duties in the A&E Department. He was also involved in invasive measurements of blood pressure.

• Co-manager assistant in Internal Medicine (Medicine II; from February 1990). During this period, he was responsible for 12-18 beds of the Medicine Department, coordinating the work of two assistants. From January 2002 to January 2005 he had the title of "High Specialisation" in the field of disorders from orthostatic intolerance. From January 2005 he was responsible for the simple structure "Unit for Syncopes and Posture Disorders". 
• Following the incorporation process of Italian hospitals (as from 1996), he was involved in programmes for the ottimization of efficiency and cost reduction of the Medicine II Department and he had an active part in the discussion of the annual budget from 1998. He was responsible for the Day Hospital in Medicine II until January 2005. 

• He followed the course for Directors of Complex Operative Units, hospital area, edition UBMDSCO0201, held at the School of Management in Health of the Lombardy Region (I.Re.F.) in 2002, discussing the final project entitled "Evaluation of diagnostic performance and cost analysis of tilt test in the diagnosis of syncopal episodes", obtaining the resulting certification.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=furlan r

Prof. Michele Ciccarelli is the Pneumology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital.

He has acquired significant experience in managing infectious pneumonias, treating about 300 cases annually. 

He has also acquired a wide experience in managing respiratory allergies of bronchial asthma and COPD with over 500 patients followed in these pathologies.

Previous experience:

1988-1995 Hospital of Niguarda, Milan, Italy
Visiting doctor at the Centre for High Specialisation in Allergology and Clinical Immunology with full-time specialisation in the Department of Pneumology Piazza.

Other medical areas of interest:

• Obstructive pathology of the airways
• Pulmonary infectivity
• Bronchoscopy techniques
• Pulmonary oncology
• Interstitial pneumopathies
• Non-invasive ventilator therapy
• Sleep medicine
• Pneumopathies in the course of systemic diseases

Research areas of interest:

• Lung oncology
• Community and hospital acquired pneumonia
• Bronchial asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Teaching experience: Medicine and Surgery Professor at “Università degli Studi” of Milan.

Scientific activities: Medicine and Surgery Professor at “Associazione Italiana Pneumologi Ospedalieri” (AIPO).